With reference to FIG. 1, an example electronic system 10 includes a processor 11 coupled to a memory 13 via a memory controller 15. For example, the electronic system 10 may be a general purpose computer system such as a desktop or laptop computer. Alternatively, the system 10 may be a special purpose system such as a digital audio player or personal digital assistant.
Increasing clock speeds and transistor densities are causing temperature regulation challenges for high-performance microprocessors. In many cases, microprocessors are equipped with on-die or on-package temperature sensors to reduce the component activity level in response to elevated temperatures. For example, the clock speed may be reduced to limit the active switching power. Reducing the activity level is sometimes referred to as “throttling.”
Components in the memory subsystem face thermal management issues as well. Direct or indirect temperature sensing and feedback have been proposed for controlling memory temperature. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2002/0143488 describes a system which determines throttle settings using a thermal sensor. PCT Publication No. WO 00/11675 also describes controlling data transmission rates based on a temperature of a component, which in some examples includes a temperature sensor coupled to a memory module. However, the additional cost and complexity of a temperature sensor are less desirable for high-volume memory applications.